Showing papers in "Journal of Comparative Psychology in 1984"
TL;DR: A bottlenosed dolphin was trained to mimic computer-generated "model" sounds, using a whistle mode of vocalization, and the ability to label objects vocally was similar to abilities shown for some birds and similar, in principle, to abilities of great apes trained in visual languages to labels objects through gestures or other visual symbols.
Abstract: A bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was trained to mimic computer-generated "model" sounds, using a whistle mode of vocalization. Prior to training, the whistle sounds of this dolphin were limited to a few stereotyped forms, none of which resembled the model sounds. After training, high-fidelity imitations were obtained of model sounds having (a) moderately or widely swept, slow-rate frequency modulation (1-2 Hz), (b) narrowly or moderately swept frequency modulation at moderate to rapid rates (3-11 Hz), (c) square-wave frequency transitions, and (d) unmodulated (pure-tone) waveforms. New models, not heard previously, could be mimicked immediately, often with good fidelity, including mimicry of amplitude variation that had not been explicitly reinforced during training. Subsets of familiar models were mimicked with high reliability in repeated tests. In additional training, control of the mimic response was transferred from the acoustic model to objects shown the dolphin (e.g., a ball or a hoop) so that, in effect, the dolphin gave unique vocal labels to those objects. In a test of accuracy and reliability of labeling, correct vocal labels were given on 91% of 167 trials comprised of five different objects presented in random order. The dolphin's ability for vocal mimicry compared favorably with that of the more versatile mimic birds, and it contrasted sharply with the apparent lack of vocal mimicry ability in terrestrial mammals other than humans. The ability to label objects vocally was similar to abilities shown for some birds and similar, in principle, to abilities of great apes trained in visual languages to label objects through gestures or other visual symbols.
259 citations
TL;DR: Analysis of errors showed that two aspects of the signs, gestural form and conceptual category, governed the distribution of errors.
Abstract: Chimpanzees can communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) to independent human observers whose only source of information is the ASL signs of the chimpanzees. A vocabulary test was presented to 4 cross-fostered chimpanzees (4-6 years old). Thirty-five-millimeter color slides were projected on a screen that could be seen by the chimpanzee subject but not by the human observers. There were two observers: O1 was the questioner in the testing room with the subject; O2 was in a different room. Neither observer could see the other, or the responses of the other observer. O1 and O2 agreed in their readings of both correct and incorrect signs, and most of the signs were the correct ASL names of the slides. In order to show that the chimpanzees were naming natural language categories--that the sign DOG could refer to any dog, FLOWER to any flower, SHOE to any shoe--each test trial was a first trial in that test slides were presented only once. Analysis of errors showed that two aspects of the signs, gestural form and conceptual category, governed the distribution of errors.
157 citations
108 citations
TL;DR: Maternally experienced females were more responsive to pups than nulliparous females when nonpregnant and throughout late pregnancy, but both groups were equally likely to show prepartum aggression.
Abstract: Changes in maternal responsiveness during late pregnancy were traced by exposing females to foster pups (15-30-min tests) under conditions favoring the rapid initiation of maternal behavior. Groups were tested when nonpregnant or on Days 17, 20, 21, or 22 of pregnancy (Day 22 = parturition). Nulliparous females were compared with primiparous and with "experienced breeders." Nest defense was observed by introducing unfamiliar males (2-min tests) on Day 22. Results focused attention on three periods: (a) Days 17-20, when maternal responsiveness was lower than in the nonpregnant condition, (b) Day 21, when maternal responsiveness returned to or rose above nonpregnant levels, and (c) on Day 22, the 3.5 hr prior to delivery, during which 90% of females almost immediately retrieved, gathered, and tended foster pups and during which 92% attacked the unfamiliar intruders. (Attacks were rare earlier.) Maternally experienced females were more responsive to pups than nulliparous females when nonpregnant and throughout late pregnancy, but both groups were equally likely to show prepartum aggression.
96 citations
TL;DR: In this article, differences in simple and complex social behavior were examined between monkeys reared with either animate, though nonconspecific, or inanimate surrogate mothers, in terms of social ontogeny, the acquisition of behavioral and social competences.
Abstract: Differences in simple and complex social behavior were examined between monkeys reared with either animate, though nonconspecific, or inanimate surrogate mothers. In the first experiment, members of each rearing condition were formed into 6-member social groups for ten 5.5-hr trials. In the second experiment, members of each rearing condition were formed into social groups twice daily, one formation comprising all 6 group-members and one comprising 5 group-members, with a different individual excluded each day. Although members of both groups displayed deficient forms of social behavior, individuals reared with animate companions were able to use their limited social repertoires in more sophisticated ways, depending upon the social context. The results are discussed in terms of two "tasks" of social ontogeny, the acquisition of behavioral and social competences.
77 citations
75 citations
TL;DR: Analysis of the phenotypes by which PPE and LE are achieved suggests important differences between them and CE in several parameters of female reproductive effort and breeding strategy, including maternal and copulatory behavior, optimal timing of litters, and hormonal control of heat and lactation.
Abstract: Virgiri rodents exhibiting cycling estrus have traditionally been used for comparative studies of reproductive behavior. However estrus occurs in other life-history contexts, some of which differ from cycling estrus (CE) in that (a) the female is disposed to behave both maternally and sexually and (b) they result in litter overlap (i.e., the simultaneous gestation and lactation of two litters). In this report, two of these other modes of estrus are examined, with emphasis on their evolutionary and ecological implications. By means of a literature search of the order Rodentia, postpartum estrus (PPE) and lactational estrus (LE) were documented in 15 families, 71 genera, and 141 species. Analysis of these data showed that PPE and LE were nonrandomly distributed across taxa. They were statistically overrepresented in the family Cricetidae and underrepresented in squirrels (Sciuridae) and in pocket mice and kangaroo rats (Heteromyidae). Analysis of the phenotypes by which PPE and LE are achieved suggests important differences between them and CE in several parameters of female reproductive effort and breeding strategy, including maternal and copulatory behavior, optimal timing of litters, and hormonal control of heat and lactation.
71 citations
TL;DR: The conclusion is that the overlearning-extinction effect is an instance of contrast and can be understood in terms of frustration engendered by unrealized anticipation of reinforcement.
Abstract: In three experiments with free-flying honeybees, the previously discovered overlearning-extinction effect was replicated under different conditions and shown to depend on magnitude of reinforcement: The effect appeared in training with a 50% sucrose solution but not with a 20% solution. The results prompted a fourth experiment in which successive negative contrast was demonstrated: The animals were disturbed to find the 20% solution on a distinctive target that always before had been baited with the 50% solution. The conclusion is that the overlearning-extinction effect is an instance of contrast and can be understood in terms of frustration engendered by unrealized anticipation of reinforcement.
65 citations
60 citations
TL;DR: Two hundred male and female college students were assigned to one of four odor conditions and asked to rate photographs of a male stimulus and to rate their own mood in the presence of each odorant; there was a significant overall sex by treatment condition interaction.
Abstract: Previous studies have suggested that the pig sex pheromone 5 alpha-androst-16-en-3-one may function as a human sex pheromone. Two hundred male and female college students were assigned to one of four odor conditions (androstenone, methyl anthranilate, skatole, and a no-odor control) and were asked to rate photographs of a male stimulus and to rate their own mood in the presence of each odorant. There was a significant overall sex by treatment condition interaction. Men in the androstenone condition rated the stimulus male as more passive, and women in the androstenone condition rated themselves as less sexy; these effects were specific to the androstenone condition.
57 citations
TL;DR: It was discovered that chemical cues associated with presumedly inert plastic tank dividers influence Bettas' social behavior and it was determined that large body size as well as males' prior residency in a tank produced an agonistic advantage.
Abstract: Reproductive and agonistic behaviors in Siamese fighting fish were investigated in eight experiments, and some consequences and determinants of these sequences were isolated. First, fights and the formation of dominance-subordinancy relations were studied. Second, it was determined that large body size as well as males' prior residency in a tank produced an agonistic advantage; the magnitude of this advantage was positively related to the duration of residency. Third, the prior-residency effect in Bettas was determined by males' familiarity with visual and/or tactile cues in their home tanks. Fourth, dominant males had greater access to living space and were more likely to display at a mirror, build nests, and approach females than were subordinates. Finally, it was discovered that chemical cues associated with presumedly inert plastic tank dividers influence Bettas' social behavior.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that two pigeons can be conditioned to maintain an interaction in which one pigeon has access to a discriminative stimulus that the other needs in order to emit a reinforced response, and responds in the absence of deprivation, aversive stimulation, and unconditioned reinforcement.
Abstract: This study addressed the question: Can nonhuman organisms be conditioned to respond discriminatively to abstract features of their environments without unconditioned reinforcement? It demonstrated that two pigeons can be conditioned to maintain an interaction in which one pigeon has access to a discriminative stimulus that the other needs in order to emit a reinforced response, and responds in the absence of deprivation, aversive stimulation, and unconditioned reinforcement. This finding adds to the class of variables heretofore demonstrated to maintain "symbolic repertoires" and highlights a fresh paradigm for conditioning other spontaneous interactions between and within nonhuman species. The importance of social stimuli in such interchanges is demonstrated.
TL;DR: On etudie les effets de contingences environnementales sur le comportement de recherche de la nourriture and le «cout» de cette Recherche, chez le rat, en faisant varier la quantite d'aliments disponibles ainsi que the difficulte a se les procurer.
Abstract: On etudie les effets de contingences environnementales sur le comportement de recherche de la nourriture et le «cout» de cette recherche, chez le rat, en faisant varier la quantite d'aliments disponibles ainsi que la difficulte a se les procurer
TL;DR: The performance of goldfish was studied in a series of experiments with patterned sequences of reward and nonreward for response to a given stimulus (S3), with results similar in important respects to those for pigeons but different in their failure to demonstrate control of performance by memory of N.
Abstract: The performance of goldfish was studied in a series of experiments with patterned sequences of reward (R) and nonreward (N) for response to a given stimulus (S3). Trials with two other, readily discriminable stimuli, response to one always rewarded and response to the second never rewarded, were interpolated in such a way that the outcome of any S3 trial could not be predicted from the events of the immediately preceding trial. The main purpose was to look for control of response to S3 based on memory of N like that found in previous work with pigeons. In Experiments 1 and 2, blocks of R and N trials with S3 were programmed, R trials in the first half of each session and N in the last half, or N trials in the first half and R in the last half. In Experiment 3, successive acquisition and extinction of response to S3 was studied, with the N-to-R and R-to-N transitions either within sessions or between sessions. In Experiment 4, the effects of partial and consistent reinforcement on extinction of response to S3 were compared. The results obtained are similar in important respects to those for pigeons but different in their failure to demonstrate control of performance by memory of N.
TL;DR: The previous conclusion that self-stimulation apparently plays no role in the development or maintenance of the species-typical perceptual preference for the descending frequency-modulated notes of the wood duck maternal call is supported.
Abstract: A previous study revealed that wood ducklings vocalize copiously when in auditory isolation. However, such self-stimulation appeared to be ineffective in maintaining their preference for the characteristically descending frequency-modulated (FM) notes of the wood duck maternal call. Only isolated birds that had been exposed to a recording of descending sib calls showed the normal preference for descending maternal notes in a choice test with descending and ascending maternal calls. In this study, the actual vocalizations of stimulated and unstimulated wood ducklings were examined in order to explore the possibility that there is a difference in the kind and/or amount of auditory self-stimulation in the two groups (e.g., the stimulated birds might produce more descending calls). Although the stimulated birds produced more ascending notes than the unstimulated birds, no differences were found in the overall vocal behavior, vocal reactivity, or specific kinds of frequency modulation produced by the birds that preferred the descending maternal call and the other birds that responded in the choice test. The absence of a difference in vocal production between the birds that preferred the descending call and the other responding birds supports the previous conclusion that self-stimulation apparently plays no role in the development or maintenance of the species-typical perceptual preference for the descending FM notes of the wood duck maternal call.
TL;DR: A forced-choice discrimination procedure was used to test color vision and visual sensitivity in squirrel monkeys originating from three geographical locations, and striking individual variations in color vision were found among these squirrel monkeys.
Abstract: A forced-choice discrimination procedure was used to test color vision and visual sensitivity in 10 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) originating from three geographical locations (Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana). In agreement with results from an earlier study of vision in squirrel monkeys of Peruvian origin, striking individual variations in color vision were found among these squirrel monkeys. Some of these animals had trichromatic color vision, while others were dichromats. Within these two categories, a total of five color vision phenotypes could be discerned. Most of these types are qualitatively similar to common forms of human color-defective vision.
TL;DR: Results are presented which suggest a thermo-regulatory mechanism underlying progesterone-mediated maternal nesting which may involve genetic differences in thermal set point.
Abstract: These experiments addressed the possibility that genetic differences in plasma progesterone levels underlie genetic differences observed in maternal nesting (nest building by pregnant mice). Because this hypothesis requires that different circulating levels of progesterone result in a corresponding elevation of nesting, groups of outbred females were treated with varying doses of progesterone, and their nesting was measured. The relation between progesterone dose and nesting was not linear; rather, there appeared to be a threshold dose above which all groups responded similarly. Next, the progesterone levels of four inbred strains and lines selectively bred for differences in nonpregnant (thermoregulatory) nesting were measured directly by radioimmunoassay. The rank order of the inbred strains' and selected lines' progesterone levels did not correspond to the rank order of their nesting. Thus, genetically based differences in maternal nesting are not due to differences in circulating progesterone levels. Other results are presented which suggest a thermo-regulatory mechanism underlying progesterone-mediated maternal nesting which may involve genetic differences in thermal set point.
TL;DR: It is suggested that two olfactory cues mediate a male's attraction to receptive females: a species-specific odor that is learned during early development and a sexual attractant whose saliency is established as a result of adult experience with a receptive female.
Abstract: When tested in a Y-maze olfactometer, sexually experienced and sexually naive brown and collared lemmings (Lemmus sibiricus = trimucronatus and Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) preferred the odor of conspecific females to the odor of females of another species. Both experienced and naive males also preferred the odor of conspecific females to that of conspecific males. Only sexually experienced males showed a significant preference for estrous over nonestrous conspecific females. Sexually experienced males also discriminated between estrous and nonestrous heterospecific females of a familiar (lemming) and unfamiliar (meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus) species. In conjunction with the results of earlier studies of the development of species-specific olfactory preferences, these findings suggest that two olfactory cues mediate a male's attraction to receptive females: a species-specific odor that is learned during early development and a sexual attractant whose saliency is established as a result of adult experience with a receptive female.
TL;DR: Social interactions of cycling female golden hamsters paired with ovariectomized animals in large enclosures were primarily agonistic over the 4-day estrous cycle and showed that dominant individuals frequently chased and bit opponents during encounters within their nesting area.
Abstract: Social interactions of cycling female golden hamsters paired with ovariectomized animals in large enclosures were primarily agonistic over the 4-day estrous cycle. These aggressive interactions were intense as indicated by frequent occurrences of chase and flight behavior. Dominant and subordinate social ranks were established in the majority of pairs (96%) tested, and even females in sexual heat were capable of attacking and dominating their rivals. Furthermore, cycling females exhibited significantly more aggressive acts than ovariectomized opponents 1 day prior to sexual receptivity. No differences in fighting patterns were found between animals on the other 3 days of the estrous cycle. Additional analyses revealed clear differences in agonistic elements, including flank marking, between dominant and subordinate females regardless of whether they were gonadectomized or intact. These analyses also showed that dominant individuals frequently chased and bit opponents during encounters within their nesting area. The data are examined for implications on the adaptive organization of female hamster agonistic behavior and the neuroendocrine regulation of species-typical behavior over the estrous cycle.
TL;DR: The results are discussed in terms of (a) "working memory," (b) the significance for the evolution of behavior of investigating the conceptual capacities of animals, and (c) implications for language in nonhuman animals.
Abstract: At the end of several stages of training, 4 squirrel monkeys met an 87% criterion for choosing correctly between exemplars of the concept "sameness" and the concept "difference," the simultaneous cues, as a function of having been cued by an exemplar either of the concept "triangularity" (cued sameness) or "heptagonality" (cued difference), the successive cues, which were presented in random order. In addition, the best monkey met criterion when the exemplars of sameness and difference were presented 16 s after the withdrawal of the exemplar of triangularity or heptagonality, and the other monkeys performed successfully with shorter delays. The results are discussed in terms of (a) "working memory," (b) the significance for the evolution of behavior of investigating the conceptual capacities of animals, and (c) implications for language in nonhuman animals.
TL;DR: This result demonstrates that the normal PEI is not an absolute male refractory period; males are capable of copulating sooner, and they will do so when presented with certain behavioral stimuli.
Abstract: Male sexual arousal was examined in pigtailed monkeys (Macaca nemestrina), with the postejaculatory interval (PEI) used as the dependent variable. In male-female pairs, the PEI is shortened by 60% of normal (control) values if the male observes another male copulating with his female partner. This result demonstrates that the normal PEI is not an absolute male refractory period; males are capable of copulating sooner, and they will do so when presented with certain behavioral stimuli. A possible functional interpretation of the result with regard to male reproductive competition is presented.
TL;DR: Results suggest that discrimination between prior mates and unmated females may be based on individual recognition as well as recognition of subclasses of females (i.e., mated vs. unmated, familiar vs. unfamiliar).
Abstract: When tested in a Y-maze olfactometer, male brown and collared lemmings (Lemmus sibiricus = trimucronatus and Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) preferred the odor of unmated receptive females to the odor of females with which they had just copulated. Similarly, sexually satiated males preferred the odor of an unmated receptive female to that of a strange female that had recently copulated with another male. Sexually experienced males without recent copulatory experience also demonstrated this preference, but sexually naive males did not. Sexually satiated collared lemmings preferred the odor of bedding from a novel estrous female to bedding from the female with which they had just copulated even when the bedding was collected before mating occurred. These results suggest that discrimination between prior mates and unmated females may be based on individual recognition as well as recognition of subclasses of females (i.e., mated vs. unmated, familiar vs. unfamiliar).
TL;DR: The results conform with a general hypothesis that the urinary chemosignals in mice communicate information about the adequacy of reproductive conditions to conspecifics.
Abstract: A series of five experiments was carried out to determine the possible differential effects that urinary chemosignals from genetically related and unrelated donors have on puberty onset in female mice. The first four experiments, with a laboratory mouse strain, demonstrated no differential acceleration or delay of sexual maturation, with respect to a close genetic relation between donors and recipients, due to the chemosignals from estrous, diestrous, pregnant, or lactating females or grouped females. In the last experiment, wild stock Mus were used; all of the results were comparable to those found in laboratory stocks. There were no instances of differential acceleration or delay based on close genetic relatedness of donors and recipients. The results conform with a general hypothesis that the urinary chemosignals in mice communicate information about the adequacy of reproductive conditions to conspecifics.